Destroying A Legacy

Chapter Seven: Lafew

"I've got a question," Caius Timberley asked. "Can I be a knight even if I still think Lafew Merman is a little crazy?"

"What do you mean, Timberley?" Tranio asked. "Driscoll's Seer messed with his mind."

Lafew wondered why Tranio sounded so sure. Because he believed him, or because of the words of the man from the Rebellion? There are two Seers in our ranks.

One of them was Tranio. The other, Driscoll's personal one.

Still, it wasn't the right time to be suspicious. Tranio had told the older man he knew which King to serve, and he was now working alongside Lafew.

"Well," Timberley replied. "But wasn't he already crazy or something? You know, when he hallucinated people..."

"But, Caius," Ralph said. "We all gathered here because we agreed to try out for the knights. It's true that almost everyone showed up, but, if you believe him crazy, you could have sit this one out..."

"Well, believing he belongs to the Noblesse isn't like believing every word from his mouth is right, is it?" Caius asked. "I mean, everyone always said Merman had lost it... If he ever had it, that is."

"Lafew Merman was never crazy," Tranio said. "And if you'd been there, during his quests, you would understand just how far Driscoll would go to hurt those he wants to maim with his actions and his words." 

Lafew wondered how he was going to manage to have his back without telling all the students that his father was Driscoll's second-in-command, but he hoped the Seer would find a way. 

"I'm sorry I said I didn't want to be loyal to you anymore, last year," Pembroke said. "I already told you the other day I changed my mind, but I'm telling everyone now."

Lafew remembered Ariel's words. It was hard to trust Pembroke with those in mind. Still, those sentences, and the ones he spoke the other day, were the only brotherly ones he'd heard from Pembroke's mouth. Surely giving him the benefit of the doubt couldn't be a too stupid thing to do.

"And if you're not the second coming of Arthur, then how are you the True King at all? We've never been explained how the two are not synonyms," Caius added, not stupidly.

"I still don't know," Lafew couldn't help but reply. "I think Peretti is too busy to talk about that, recently, amongst other things."

"I have my theory," Celia said, her eyes shining. Lafew noticed Art was sitting next to her, and blushed violently. Lafew remembered him telling him that he had no luck with blondes. "I think Gehry is trying to get him too busy to do anything. If people focus on the new issues, like the Hero line, they won't focus on the 'old' ones like Driscoll escaping or Lafew not being King Arthur. Maybe he just wants to keep things this way, to have less paper-work. Or maybe he's a supporter in disguise."

Lafew shivered. He couldn't help but recall the Regent's words. What if the Hand was the one who was using him as bait for Julius Driscoll?

"When Lafew got in a row with you, you said you never cared about politics," Viola couldn't help but comment, impressed. "And now you sound so... prepared."

Celia shrugged. "I love reading. I do my research. Besides, the idea of Julius Driscoll scares me. As it should. Dad was wrong --- I should have known. How has the rest of you lived all the time with that concept?"

"It's in our history, blondie," Art smirked. "My grandparents became allies of John Kareninish, the one who claimed he was True King, because he made them believe he would approve their union --- Grandad was Jewish and there was a time they were persecuted also amongst the Noblesse. But then, they switched sides and helped Peretti defeat Kareninish. That's how the man became Regent."